Vital Stats

12 March 2014

Sashaying along the Strela Sound: Ostseebad Binz

I was in Stralsund only for a long weekend, but I felt like I saw plenty of things during those three days in which I was in the area. I did a daytrip to the island of Rügen, and after checking out a hunting lodge, I took a little bit of a stroll and headed out to the beach. I wanted to see the sea again; I haven't seen it since I was in Barcelona, so I wanted to see a body of water during the winter. I had this idea of a rather Romantic image of strolling along a windswept beach deserted of bathers one winter day.

In this island, there is this narrow-gauge train. I took this to reach the hunting lodge, but it is actually more popular with bathers during the summer. When I used it, it was virtually empty, and it was running on the Winter Schedule, which isn't too frequent. That being said, I witnessed a film crew making a documentary of it.

One thing I found rather interesting here is the architecture. It seems that the buildings near the beach have their own style. It features buildings with interesting balconies, with wrought-iron decor, which makes it look so different from the other types of German architecture I have seen in the south. It definitely is different from the wood-frame architecture that one can see in Maulbronn, for example. I saw plenty of houses and other properties that are for rent, though since I was there during the winter, people weren't occupying it too much when I was there.

Finally, the beach. It seems that there were other people who wanted a Romantic experience of taking a stroll along a windswept beach deserted of bathers. So I had a few people for company. I could only imagine how this place looks like during the height of summer. Though come to think of it, I don't think I would be attracted to that thought, as I hate summer anyway. But yes, this is the Baltic Sea. Just a couple hundred kilometers north and there is Sweden.

Anyway, after my walk, I found a place to get some seafood for lunch. After all, I am near the ocean, so why not eat what is fresh and good here?